September flower garden diary from Gardenaction

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SEPTEMBER IN THE FLOWER GARDEN

ACTION NOW	SOW AND PLANT	IN FLOWER NOW

Lift and store gladioli corms (tuberous roots)	Plant spring flowering bulbs at the end of the month	The large flowered clematis are in full flower this month. 'Ville de Lyon', 'Ernest Markham' and 'Mrs Cholmondeley' are amongst the best. Autumn flowering bulbs planted in the Spring will be in flower now. Cyclamen, summer hyacinth and some of the lilies will also be in full flower. One reliable beauty for this month is Sedum 'Autumn Joy'. Pink flowers this month turn to red and orange- brown next month. Compact and stunning, this is a must for all gardens. Place them near the front of the border for maximum impact.

Dig up bedding plants which have finished

Cut off and dry seed heads for decoration indoors	Sow hardy annuals for early flowering next year

Lay a new lawn (or make repairs) using turf
Deadhead roses
Give your lawn a makeover - aerate and rake it	At the first frost, prepare dahlias for over-wintering

Lift the corms (tuberous roots near the surface) when the foliage turns yellow-brown. Use a fork to gently lift them from the soil, removing any soil stuck to the corms. Cut off the main stem near to the corm and dry them. Store over winter in a dry, dark and cool frost-free place (the shed or garage). To increase numbers, divide off cormlets with the hand. The corms will be ready for planting again in March or April.

Remove bedding plants as they begin to fade and put them on the compost heap. Fork over the soil to open it up to the frost.

Chinese Lantern, Honesty and Poppy seed heads all make excellent dried decorations indoors during winter. Simply cut off stems of the correct length, dry them and then arrange in a vase.

In areas which do not suffer from hard and prolonged frost, this is a good month to sow hardy annuals. They will have time to germinate before winter and produce flowers a few weeks earlier next year. This is best done at the beginning of the month. Alyssum, candytuft, cornflower, pot marigold and Shirley poppy are all likely to survive the winter if planted now.